The Snake Marks the Moon
by Diginaught
Summary: Rukia is in love. Byakyua wants to find out who it is. Renji just wants Rukia to love him. But little does he know... Read the misadventures as Byakyua tries to pair the two up, Rukia tries to confess, and Renji tries to mantain sanity throughout the fic.
1. Prologue

**Alright, this is the first chapter (more of an intro really) to my Rukia/Renji fanfic. I know the first chappy is short, but it's late where I am, I'm tired, and this is just the prologue. Byakyua is gonna try hard to make sure that Rukia finds the right one, but his ideas may be a little bit... awkward and too weird to work. But hopefully he can help.**

**Enjoy!**

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Rukia stumbled about the sixth division courters with a dreamy grin on her face, eyes glazed over, and her body swaying back and forth, as if the winds were controlling her movements. She finally found a table to sit down at and gave a long happy sigh, eyes still misty and glazed over.

"Are you okay sister?"

Byakyua had watched her sister enter the division not too long ago, watching her actions and the wistful sigh she gave. It was not... Normal for someone of her style to do.

"I'm perfectly fine Nii-sama...Perfectly fine..."

Slowly she got up and stumbled off, trying not to knock into any shinigami while doing so, mostly being unsuccesful with her attempts.

A crease formed on the noble's head as he watched on. Something wasn't right with her at all... But what?

Byakyua thought back to his time with Hisana trying to remember if there was ever a time when she had acted like this.

And then it hit him.

Surprisingly, he chuckled at the memory. Anything that brought back good memories of his wife always made him happier and this one was no exclusion.

It had been when they were dating. They had had a marvelous dinner out and decided to spend the rest of the night out going for a stroll in the Kuchiki gardens. After some time of gazing at the hovering moon and the stars that speckled the pitch black sky, Byakyua had done the unexpected. Wrapping his arm around Hisana, he brought her in close to him and gave her a small peck on the lips.

This had brought Hisana into a dazed state for weeks to come.

The images soon faded from the sixth captain's mind as his brain began processing the information.

Hisana had fallen in love when she had that look on her face.

Rukia had that exact same look on her face.

It hit Byakyua like a freight train.

Rukia was in love with somebody.

Byakyua watched as the ground came zooming up towards his face before everything became misty and he faded away.

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**This is only the beginning. More to come! R&R please.**


	2. CH 1 Ruling Out

**Well, here's the first actual chapter to the book! This one's much longer. Hope I got the personalities right... That's something I think I should work on actually.**

**Oops. I forgot to do the disclaimer in the last chapter! Ack!**

**Renji: Baka.**

**Me: Shut up. Anyways, I will say here and now, that I don't own Bleach! All rights go to Tite Kubo, and that includes from last chapter! Enjoy the fic!**

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"...Ugh..."

"Hey, he's waking up! Captain, are you alright?"

Byakyua groaned silently as he slowly got up from where he was lying. He noticed that he wasn't lying on the hardwood floor anymore, and that he had been moved onto a bed in the fourth squad. Renji and Rikichi gazed at him with concerned looks on their faces.

"What happened Renji?"

"I-I don't really know. All I know is that I came walking down the hall and found you lying unconscious sir. Rikichi and I got you to the fourth squad in case you were hurt."

It then hit Byakyua like a flood. The memories swarmed and buzzed around his head. Rukia. In love. With someone.

"I see... Rikichi, may you leave me and Renji alone? I have some business to discuss to him about."

Rikichi left the room in a hurry, leaving the vice captain and captain the only ones left in the room.

Slowly, but steadily, Byakyua began to get up.

"S-Sir! Do you think that's a good idea to do after passing out?"

"I'm fine Abarai." The coldness in his voice was evident, even to the stubborn tattooed lieutenant. He backed down after that.

"Sorry sir. I just don't want you to get hurt like that again. Do you know what happened?"

"It is none of your conce-" It then occurred to the noble that Renji was one of Rukia's closest friends, and maybe even something like family to her.

If they were so close, then Renji might know who she was in love in...

the raven haired man soon set to work on his plan.

"Tell me Abarai, has Rukia show affection to anyone as of lately?"

Even though he was standing, Renji somehow was able to trip in place.

"S-SAY WHAT?"

"You heard me right, didn't you?"

"O-Of course I did sir! It's just... I didn't expect you to ask me something like that..."

"Well?"

"Huh? Oh, uhm... Not really. She acts the same old way she normally does around me, so I wouldn't happen to know. Why? Did something happen taichou?"

Byakyua explained the situation to the vice captain about how he found Rukia like that. It was then that another thought occurred to him...

"Abarai, Rukia isn't in love with Ichigo, is he?"

You could practically hear the desperation and panic rise in his voice as he spoke.

Renji gave a startled look for a second, but then shook his head in denial.

"No. No, I don't think it's Ichigo. There's more of a brother-sister relationship between them..." Renji then realized what he just said and immediately took it back upon raised eyebrows from his surperior.

"I-I didn't mean it like that! You see, it's a common stereotype that brothers and sisters argue and don't get along very well! That's sort of the relationship between Rukia and Ichigo I think."

"I see. Then could it be a relationship between maybe another one of the lieutenants?"

Renji thought about this and went through the list.

"Well let's see here... First there's Omaeda, and there's no way that Rukia would be associated with him. He's not exactly... erhm... attractive you could say..."

"Good. I do not want Rukia with him. He is a slob."

"Eh, you would be surprised taichou. He's picked himself up quite a bit. But anyways, then there's Kira and Hisagi... I don't really know much about those two. Rukia does sometimes talk to them, but I don't think it's really enough to spark a relationship or anything like that."

That took down two more of them.

"Then there's Iba, Ikkaku, and Yumichika...No, just... no. Definitely not them. I hope."

Byakyua nodded and then frowned a little bit. "Wait, what about the captains? Do you think she might be in love with one of them?"

The crimson haired shinigami scoffed at this.

"No offense captain, but not many of the captains would be good candiddates for her. Yammy G is waaaaaay to old, Rose, Shinji, and Kensei barely know her and have only been captains for so long, Komamura is... different, Shunsui is a little bit too distracted with ah, other things I think and Kenpachi... Well, he's a little to battle crazy for Rukia I think."

A image of Rukia with her hair done up into multiple spikes appeared in Byakyua's head. She was standing over a pile of dead hollows and laughing like, well... Kenpachi would, and had her sword raised high over her head.

Even the captain of squad six had to shudder at this mental image.

"Captain Kurotsuchi... Again, no...Just... Let's not go there for now. And then there's Captain Ukitake... Actually, he's not that bad out of the other captains. He could be a possible fit I guess..."

Byakyua was about to state that that was impossible, but his vice captain did have a point. Ukitake was kind, caring, good natured, and to top it off, the captain of the squad that Rukia was in, so she would have seen him a lot.

However, something disturbed him about the two together. He just couldn't picture the two toether as a couple. Ukitake was just too old for Rukia. They didn't fit.

"I see. Very well then. Thank you Abarai. You may be dismissed."

Renji looked a bit surprised at this sudden debreifing, but obeyed nontheless.

"Yes sir. I'll be out of here right away."

With that, Renji left.

"Now then... Off to see Ukitake about this..."

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**Well, that's it for now. R&R about how I can improve please.**


	3. CH 2 Interrogation

**Hello everyone. I know that I haven't updated in a little while, but with school and all, it's one big blistering hurricane. Hopefully once summer is here I can update more frequently. Anyways, I will try not to leave a long intro here. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters. All rights are reserved to Tite Kubo.**

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Byakyua flash stepped towards Ukitake's quarters and tapped on the door lightly. After hearing a wheezing noise and a fit full of coughs, the door opened revealing none other than Ukitake standing behind the door.

"Well this is a surprise," Ukitake said as he scratched his head in slight confusion. Still, he held a grin upon his face. "What can I do for you today Captain Kuchiki?"

"There is a... matter that I need to discuss with you for a moment Captain Ukitake."

The silver haired man gave a gesture to a table and and set off to the kitchen.

"Take a seat and I'll make some tea."

"There is no need for that Captain. It will be brief."

Ukitake just gave another big grin and shook his head as he began to pour the tea.

"No, no, I insist. Here, take some."

Byakyua graciously accepted the tea and took a small sip from it. It had the slightest scent of peaches and warmed his insides. While he wouldn't show it, he did feel better now that the tea was flowing inside of him.

_And now onto the more serious matters..._

Ukitake took a sip from his tea and raised an eyebrow at Byakya's direction.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Are you in love with Rukia Kuchiki?"

*Cue spit take done by Ukitake*

"NAAAAAAAAAAAANIIIIIIIII?"

"I said..."

Ukitake stopped the sixth division captain before he could continue.

"I know what you said! But why the heck would you say such a thing?"

"I have my reasons. Why is it your business?"

She's my lieutenant for one thing!"

Byakyua sighed, knowing it would be futile to try and keep information away from him. "Very well, then. I shall tell you why."

The noble then began to explain how he had been watching Rukia lately, and how he had discussed the fact with Renji.

In truth, Ukitake found it quite amusing to himself that Byakyua would lead himself of all people to that conclusion.

_And the fact that he hasn't realized yet..._

"Well, I can assure you captain. I have no feelings toward Rukia, nor does she have any towards me. However, I do have one suggestion."

"I'm listening..."

"Well, how about instead of interrogating every single person in the soul society, how about you spy on her and see how she interacts with people? That way, you can see if she is showing different emotions when around the other person, and give you a clue about if she is in love with so and so."

"I see... Very well then. Thank you Captain Ukitake."

The captain in return gave a small bow. "Anytime Captain Byakyua. Oh, but captain?"

The noble stopped himself from walking out the door and turned his head towards the silver haired man.

"Yes?"

"Please do update me on the situation. Seeing as she's my lieutenant and all, I want to make sure she is ok."

"I will make sure to do so captain. Have a good day."

With that, he flash stepped out of the quarters.

Ukitake slowly sat down in his chair and drummed his fingers against each other. A huge grin began to accomadate his face as he moved his hands down to a chess board that was set up on his desk. He moved the bishop on the white side up a square.

_Looks like all of the pieces are set and in place. The bishop has made his move... Now all we need to do is wait and see what the king and queen are going to do and hopefully after that... checkmate._

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Byakyua had already begun to form a plan in his head on how to approach the situation.

_Spying hmmm? Well, while it does seem like a cowardly thing to do, it may be the only option I have... After all, this is for Rukia! I can not be strayed by my sense of honour for my sense of love I have for my sister! I WILL find out who she is in love with and get the two together. No matter what! _

_... Of course, if it really IS that Kurosaki, then I guess I can make some excuse to the head captain on why his head is not connected to his body..._

With that he flash stepped off to begin his stealth mission.

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**_You all know the drill. Hurry up and click that review button already!_**


	4. CH 3 Partners in Crime

**Hiya! I'm back. And I just want to say thank you for the feedback! As my show of appreciation, here's another chapter to some dedicated readers like you! This chapter is a little bit short, but it's setting up more of the premise of the story of course. So yeah, enjoy everyone!**

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Renji was pissed. This wasn't your ordinary pissed though. Not the kind of where you are ticked that someone stole your money for the day. No, this was the kind of pissed as in "The love of your life is smitten with someone else and you don't even know who it is".

Yes, Renji was not a happy bunny at the moment.

The flaming red haired shinigami stormed down throughout the seretei to go to the one place he would go to if he was aggravated like this.

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"HAHAHAHAHA! NOW THIS! THIS IS A FREE FOR ALL! COME ON, LET'S SEE A GOOD FIGHT HERE EVERYONE! LAST ONE STANDING DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR DRINKS!"

Aaaaaaahhhh yes. The eleventh division. It was like his second home.

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The battle hadn't lasted very long, thank goodness. After Kenpachi had fallen unconcious due to a loss of too much blood, Renji helped Ikkaku and Yumichika haul the rest of the eleventh division to the fourth squad barracks for healing.

...But even after that Renji still felt lousy.

As Renji left the fourth squad grounds, he heard a familiar voice call out to him from the distance.

"Yo Renji, wait up!"

The lieutenant turned around to see a recognisable dome head and a violet haired shinigami running up to him.

"Ikkaku! Yumichika. What are you guys doing?"

The 'shaven' third seat gave him a small smirk and said, "Oh nothing much, just this and that. But me and Yumichika noticed that you look a little bit down lately. What's eating ya?"

"Actually it was just me who noticed. Ikkaku's thick shiny head isn't able to pick up anything of actual use."

Ikkaku flicked his partner in crime's head.

"Shut up. So anyways, what's up Renji?"

The lieutenant contemplated first if it would be a good idea to let these two in on his secret. Yumichika wasn't exactly well known for keeping secrets... well, secret. And he didn't know if he would be able to handle the mocking from Ikkaku twenty-four/seven. Still, he knew how reliable these two were and they might even be able to help him with the situation.

"Well... You see..."

"Yeeeeeeeesssss?"

"I've in love with Rukia."

Ikkaku just rolled his eyes and took a swig at a bottle of water that he had brought with him. "Duh, tell us something we don't know man."

Renji's eyes just widened in shock.

"What? Since when did you know this?"

"Easy. Why, it's been ever since we saw you two," Simutaneously Yumichika and Ikkaku gave mock dreamy looks, "get lost in each others eyes..."

Renji knocked them both over the head with the hilt of Zabimaru.

"KNOCK IT OFF YOU TWO! YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY HELPING ME OUT HERE!"

"Chill out dude," Ikkaku took another swig of water before saying "we're gonna help you out here as best as we can."

Yumichika flipped his hair and gave a cheeky grin. "And I have just the plans to get you two toge-"

"NO."

"But-"

"NO."

"But I-"

"I said NO Yumichika. After what happened when I went along with your one of your plans last time, I'm not going to listen to you again. I mean seriously, snagging Kenpachi's bells and running to the other side of the seretei just to see his reaction? Stupidest idea ever."

"Okay, while I admit that that wasn't the smartest plan ever-"

"Dang straight."

"-Me and Yumichika want to help. We'll give you the best advice we can offer you and if you don't like it and feel uncomfortable with it, then you don't have to do it. So anyways," Ikkaku rubbed his hands in anticipation, "What plans do you have man?"

A hollow cricket chirped in the background.

"...Plans?"

Yumichika facepalmed at this.

"Oh for the love of... You haven't thought of a plan yet?"

"Well I've been a little bit distracted as of late!"

"Well, it's not that bad I guess. For every plan we must identify what the first problem is and deal with that one first. So what's your first problem?"

Renji sighed and rubbed his temples nervously.

"Well, actually I do know one problem already."

The two eleventh squadders leaned in anxiously to see what he would say.

"How the heck am I supposed to get Captain Byakyua to let me date her sister without getting sliced and diced by senbonsakura?"

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**He raises a valid question. How IS he going to be able to withstand Byakyua's blade? Only time will find out everybody! So yeah, not much else to say here so rate and review please. I'm always looking for feedback on the book.**


	5. CH 4 Womens Association

**Hey, another update! I got this chapter finished so quickly because I became so motivated to do this one in particular. I don't really know what to say, but yeah. Just sit back, relax, put on some music, pop some popcorn, and enjoy!**

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Desperate times called for desperate measures for Byakyua. Rukia had gone to the human world yesterday, and while his first idea was to follow her, he came up with a better idea.

The shinigami womens association had a room in Byakyua's mansion that they used to hold their meetings, and Byakyua knew exactly where it was after doing some investigating. Today he was going to spy on them to see if he could get any information on Rukia and her love life. After all, he had heard them before and the amount gossip that came out of their mouths was not only huge, but also true. So, he had a good idea of where to go to now.

The shinigami womens association meeting had started two minutes ago. The sixth division captain crept up slowly to the door and pressed his ear against it, making sure that he had his reiatsu low, so nobody would know he was there. He heard voices come from the other side.

"The shinigamis women association will now begin. Yachiru, what's the topic for today?"

The pink haired lieutenant thought about it for a moment. They had talked about a lot of different events that had conspired, but they had begun running out of ideas. Then it came to her.

"I know! Let's talk about pairings in the soul society!"

Nanao frowned.

"Pairings?"

Yachiru just gave her a nod and then explained. "Yup! Pairings! Who likes who! Like, how Ichigo likes Orihime-kun! And versa-vice!

"Actually, it's vice-versa Yachiru," Unohana corrected her, "but I actually think it's a good idea. There are quite a few shinigami out there, that while they would deny it, have affections for a certain someone. Meanwhile others..."

"Declare it at the top of their lungs?" Rangiku said.

"Exactly."

"Well then," Nanoa pushed her glasses up before going on, "if that's the topic for today, then let's get started. Let's start with the more subtle people who try and keep in secret. Who's up first?"

Surprisingly, Unohana was the first to raise her hand up.

"Well, I have a fourth seat named Hanataro who I know has certain feelings for someone."

Matsumoto raised her eyebrows in half surprise and half anticipation.

"Really? Who?"

"Hinamori Momo."

The group wasn't expecting that.

"Seriously? A fourth seat crushing on a vice captain?"

Retsu just gave one of her signature smiles. "Well, when Hinamori was in the fourth squad recovering from losing her captain, and then after the winter war, Hanataro was always by her side helping her out whenever he could. I think it was right after the winter war when Hanataro had decided he had fallen for her. The poor kid doesn't know what to say to her though. And he also knows he has to be careful of a certain white haired captain so that he doesn't get freezed inside out."

Byakyua knew that Toshiro was extremely protective of Hinamori after what had happened with Aizen's betrayal. Even he wouldn't have been able to come up with a punishment as severe as Toshiro will when he finds out...

A few more pairings were suggested, such as Shunsui and Nanao (which cause Nanao to burst a gasket), while Isane mentioned Sentaro and Kiyone (Which caused Kiyone go absolutely ballistic on her sister), and Toshiro with Ichigos human sister (which cause quite a bit of shock in the room, and even Yachiru suggested Kenny with captain Mommy (which caused an awkward silence in the room, and a very red captain "Mommy").

Finally, Kiyone piped up.

"What about Rukia?"

Byakyua tensed for a moment and the smallest amount of reiatsu was released. He prayed that none of them noticed. Luckily, almost all of them were too focused on the subject at hand.

Well, ALMOST all of them. Retsu lifted her head at noticing the flare in reiatsu but just gave a small smile at it.

_'So he's been here this whole time... Well, might as well let him hear about his sister... In fact, that's probably the reason to why he has stayed this whole time...'_

Rangiku just gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Isn't it obvious? Rukia obviously fell for Renji years back. Although I have to admit, she has looked a little bit day dreamy as of lately. Maybe she's getting ready to admit it to him."

Soi fon nodded. "I think it's the same with Renji. Although he's had a much harder time to admitting it. But I can definitely vouch that he loves her just the same. After all, how many times has he risked her life? First he fought against his own captain to make sure she was safe, and then used himself as a human shield when Aizen attacked them. It's obvious that they're in love with each other."

The rest of the shinigami womens association gave a general agreement.

Meanwhile, outside Byakyua felt light headed and dizzy from the information overdrive. His own lieutenant? In love with his sister? His own sister? In love with his lieutenant? It was just too much to comprehend for the noble.

As the sixth division captain's legs began to give way under him, there was only one thought that he had as he began to drift away from conciousness.

_'What's that human term that human's would use in a situation like this? Oh yes. DANG IT!'_

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**So yeah, he fainted AGAIN. He might be doing this a few more times in the book, so just an FYI for readers who want nothing but a serious unhumorous Byakyua. He will be embarrassed, humiliated, and he can't escape from anything that's after him. That includes fangirls that may or may not be in the book later *gets suspicious*. Rate and Review please.**


	6. CH 5 Getting Help

**So yeah, I'm really writing a lot lately. I just have been so motivated to do this, so I'm hoping that I can keep you guys interested. If you guys have any suggestions, such as plot twists or pairings that haven't been mentioned, but you would like to see, or battles, just tell me in the reviews and I'll see if I can get them into the fic. Or if you would like me to fit in some of the mentioned pairings into the fic, I'll see what I can do.**

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After taking yet ANOTHER trip to the fourth squad barracks, Byakyua had to do some strategizing. so he went back to his personal quarters whenever he was stressed.

Byakyua had never panicked before. He was not known for panicking. He never panicked. He was a non-panicker. But here he was, pacing back and forth, absolutely clueless on what to do.

_What am I going to do? My lieutenant... In love with my sister? I knew that they were close with each other because they were childhood friends, but I had no idea that they had these kind of feelings for each other!_

Byakyua turned his gaze towards the picture on the wall. It showed the love of his life, Hisana.

"Hisana... What would YOU do in this situation? I just... I don't know what to do. Should I go along with this? The nobles wouldn't be okay with this at all..."

Byakyua had a flashback to when he fought against Renji. Even after getting hit with his bankai not once, but twice, Renji refused to give up. He was willing to kill his own captain just to save Rukia! And then after that, he had heard what Renji had done after that. he had shielded Rukia with his own body from Aizen...

And then there was the time that Renji had found out that Rukia was supposedly dead. Renji had gone into a rage after being taunted and even after being beaten to death, he still held on. Just for Rukia.

And in his heart, Byakyua knew that Renji would do anything for Rukia...

Just. Like. He. Would do. For Hisana.

_It's decided then. I have to go along with this. No matter what doubts go through my mind, I have to stay strong with this. No matter what the nobles say, I will support the two. No matter anything through the forces of nature, life, or death will I wain. I will make sure that Abarai Renji and Rukia Kuchiki come together!_

Of course, now he was going to have to figure out a way of getting them together...

The noble captain began to ponder. And ponder some more. Multiple ideas came into his head, but all of them seemed to fail in the end when he came to the conclusion about them.

_What is the term that humans use for bad ideas? Oh yes. These ideas suck!_

And thus, Byakyua had no idea what to do.

And then something popped into his head.

...Well, someONE popped into his head. A man who could help him. A man who knew romance. And most importantly, a man who took risks.

Byakyua walked down the seretei, giving brief absent minded nods to anybody he passed. He was on a mission and he would not be stopped.

Finally, after half an hour of walking and preparing himself for the request, Byakyua knocked on the door. After a few moments of silence, a scuffling sound was heard as the door slid open.

The man on the other side gave an amused grin at the unexpected captain.

"Ah, Byakyua, what can I do for you on this wonderful day?"

"Shunsui my friend, there is something I have to request from you."

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Meanwhile, Renji wasn't fareing too well either.

He, Ikkaku, and Yumichika had put their heads together and had come up with nothing of any use. They had thought about maybe trying to impress her with Renji's skills, but Yumichika said that would be a bad idea as then Rukia may think that Renji has too big of an ego if he shows off too much. He then suggested that Renji take Rukia for a romantic dinner at an expensive restaurant, and then take her for a moonlight walk. While Renji would be more than willing to pay for the dinner, Ikkaku said that the idea was too cheezy and sappy, and that a feisty woman like Rukia would also be uncomfortable with the idea.

So all in all, all of their ideas sucked, much like Byakyua's.

Renji just groaned and slumped in the chair he was sitting in.

"This is never going to work... I mean, how the ballox do you confess to someone?"

Ikkaku just shrugged. "I dunno man, I've never been into that romance stuff."

"Yet you and Isane...~" Yumichika's cheer song voice rang.

"Shut up! Just-just shut up! I thought you said you weren't gonna talk about that!" Ikkaku's face was bright red with embarrassement.

"Slip of my beautiful tongue, that's all~."

"Guys! Getting off topic here!"

Both of them shut up after that.

"Maybe I'm taking this too seriously. Maybe I should just find a good opportunity and take it when I get the chance."

"Dude. Why are you so freakin afraid of telling her?"

Renji ran a hand through his crimson hair.

"I don't know, it's just that... I'm not afraid of rejection, just that our friendship will be ruined after it. And second of all, I don't wanna be massacred by her big bro. Senbonzakura isn't very fun to get punished by ya' know."

Yumichika sighed. "Well, how about we come back here tomorrow and discuss then? It's getting late and if we want to come up with something productive on your little quest for love, we're going to need all of the beauty sleep we need."

Ikkaku yawned and nodded. "Good idea. I'm feeling a little tired from that brawl earlier... later dudes."

Renji gave a heavy sigh and began to walk back to his quarters.

_This is all too much. I mean, I've had these feeling ever since I first saw her on the streets. And yet for all of these years I haven't been able to confess. And I've been able to hold out before, but I think I'm at my breaking point here! _

Renji looked up into the sky to see a rather startling image.

A oddly shaped cloud with the form of a snake had appeared. It even had a hole for the eye, fangs, and tongue. It had drifted over part of the ever so still moon, and for a moment, everything had become silent and still.

Renji watched the scene for a few seconds before giving his signature smirk.

"So the snake marks the moon, huh? Pretty fitting for this situation. Let's see how things turn out tonight, shall we..."

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**Betcha weren't expecting Isane/Ikkaku mention were ya? So yeah, I couldn't picture Keigo's sister with Ikkaku, but Isane for some weird reason fitted to me, so I went for it. And did you see what I did there with the last sentence?**

**Rate and Review guys! It's what I live for now.**


	7. CH 6 Setting up the Game

**Hello everyone! This chapter is slightly longer than the others, but I found it much more interesting to read. It's not as humourous as the previous ones, but I've inserted humour here and there to balance it out. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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"So your sister and your lieutenant, huh? Finally! Took you long enough to figure out."

Byakyua's eyes widened partially.

"You knew of their feelings towards each other?"

Shunsui poured himself another glass of sake and grinned. "Of course I know. It's obvious aint it? I mean, everyone in the flipping Seretei knows about it except you and those two. Heck, even Kenpachi's admitted that Renji would make a good husband for her one day. That is... IF he actually gets the balls to confess to her."

"Which is why I'm here of course. I know that YOU particularly don't have much success, but you've definitely had experience with different types of women to know how to confess, right?"

Shunsui grinned and tipped his hat in the noble's direction.

"Exacta. You've come to the right man Byakyua, I'll tell you that. You can count on me to come up with an idea to help get the two together."

"Wait a minute," Byakyua said, "You aren't going to actually put the plan to action? You'll just make up the plan?"

"Of course!" Shunsui stated. "My policy is that you can't interfere with love! So while I'll make the plan, it's up to you to put it to action, got it?"

Byakyua knew that he was the one who came to him, but now he felt a little unsure. Those simple words, "You can't interfere with love!" struck him, but he decided that this might be his only chance of getting Rukia and Renji together.

"All right... Understood. Now tell me what this plan is."

Shunsui's grin only grew wider giving Byakyua a sense of unease.

"Well, here's what I am thinking..."

* * *

Ukitake had heard from Shunsui moments after their conversation had ended about what took place. Slowly he reached out towards the bishop piece and moved it up the chess board.

_'So Byakyua has finally found out hmm? Another piece of the game has made it's move now... Now we need to see what else can happen... But for the white team to win, the King and Queen have to survive... Things should get interesting very soon...'_

* * *

Rukia had come back from her mission at Karakura Town and decided to rest for the rest of the day. The hollows hadn't been to difficult to deal with, although finding that plus had been slightly challenging, even with her tracking abilities.

Although all in all, it was good to be back home.

During her time in Karakura Town, Rukia found herself thinking of nothing but Renji. She knew why. The answer was obvious. She was in love with him.

It was a weird mix really. The ice wielding, petite kido user falling for the snake wielding, tall physical fighter. They were just such opposites in almost every way possible! He was reckless, she made strategies. He was cocky, she was modest. He was hot headed, and she was calm (although when she gets angry, it's best to get out of her way). The only thing they had in common was their sense of humour really.

So why did she love him?

There were a few reasons she could guess. Renji was loyal. He would never abandon his post, and stuck to his duties all the time. He never backed down and never gave in, even when faced with death.

There was his recklesseness, which was a trait that Rukia actually liked in all honesty. He had to be quick when thinking, and while he was reckless when it came with most fights, that was his strategy. Rush in, and do as much damage before they can react. She remembered hearing from Renji when he used Zabimaru to bind him and the eighth espada up and then used his kido on him. The results had heavily damaged the espada, gaining Renji a much needed advantage since he couldn't use bankai in that instance.

But there was one thing that made Rukia truly fall for Renji. It had been that one time that sparked everything between her and Renji. When Aizen had gone bad, Renji ran as fast as he could with Rukia in his arms. And during that moment, Rukia actually felt calm. It didn't matter that she was about to be executed, or that a killer was after her. She felt safe and comfortable in Renji's arms and she could have stayed in that position forever.

Ever since then, Rukia had longed to be back in his arms, and she wished that there had been an opportunity to have that moment again. So whenever he embraced her in a hug, she accepted it with open arms.

She loved Renji. And that was never going to change.

But the hard part was confessing this to him. They were friends. The best of friends really. They had both been orphans and had known each other since they were kids. They grew up together. And that was the one thing that Rukia didn't want to end. Their friendship. If thing didn't work out, she still wanted to be friends with a guy like Renji and she was afraid of losing that friendship of she confessed and he didn't feel the same way. It frightened her to death to even imagine what would happen then.

So how could she confess?

Just then there was a loud firecracker sound that came from the eleventh division.

Rukia watched as a loud plume of smoke steadily rised up from the area.

"That's odd. I could have sworn that sounded like a kido spell. But the eleventh division don't use kido... What's going on over there?"

Curiousity getting the better of her, Rukia flash stepped to the area.

When she got there, she found that the training grounds had been covered in black, with a large smoke cloud in the middle of the area. Emerging from the explosion came three figures.

*cough cough hack weeeeeze* "Aw man, Renji, I know you're trying to perfect your kido spells, but could you at least not use us for target practice when we're in the middle of a brawl?"

Another voice came after that one.

"I whole heartedly agree with him. I mean, I think you might have singed one of my feathers. Now my beautiful face isn't symetrical anymore thanks to you!"

Finally, the third figure replied, "Aw, shut it you two. You both said this would be a free for all so I just went with it..."

Rukia smirked as she recognized what just happened.

"Still having trouble becoming the master of kido I see?"

The three shinigami looked up to see Rukia standing before them.

"Oh! Uh, hey Rukia..." Renji gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I have a little ways to go... Ahehehe..."

Ikkaku just rolled his eyes at Renji's sudden change in behaviour. "I'll say! Seriously Renji, you don't need to try and get attention with your "amazing" kido spells. It's not like anybodies gonna give a crap whether ya' can use it or not."

Yumichika gave an evil grin in his partners direction.

"Oh really Ikkaku? Your the one to talk. I've seen you try to leave the infirmary ealier than you should just to try and show how "tough" you are to Isane."

Rukia's eyes widened to twice their size.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Back up a minute! Did you just say... Ikkaku... and Isane?"

Rukia quickly clasped a hand over her mouth to hold back the snickers that erupted from her mouth.

"... Hey Renji?"

The red haired shinigami gulped nervously at the darkening aura beginning to surround Ikkaku's body.

"Um, yeah Ikkaku?"

"What's the incantation to Shakkaho again?"

* * *

**So yeah, there you have it. More anologies with chess. For those of you who don't understand:**

**Renji: King**

**Rukia: Queen**

**Byakyua: Bishop**

**And everyone else will most likely be a pawn. Except for the hollows. They can be horses since technically Hollow Ichigo was saying how the horse will one day find the King's weakness. Although the whole King vs Horse thing doesn't really apply here... Unless I make a chapter featuring Renji fighting some hollows. Which will inevitably happen.**

**Anyways, next chapter, on The Snake Marks the Moon!**

**Byakyua, having no other plan, decides to put Shunsui's plan to use and see if it works. Meanwhile, Renji and Rukia find themselves still struggling to confess to each other, worrying about the effects that could happen besides each other (Byakyua, nobles, I'm looking right at you). Will the plan work? Will Byakyua get them together? Well how am I supposed to know? I haven't finished the chapter yet, duh!**


	8. CH 8 The Mission

**EEEEEK! Sorry about the lack of update guys! I've been soooooo busy lately, that I haven't been able to do any work lately! But here's the newest chapter. Have fun!**

* * *

Renji ran as quickly as he could to his captain's office. He had gotten word of an urgent mission that he was to work on, and knowing the captain, he shouldn't be late for what he had to say.

Finally making it to his captain's office, the red haired lieutenant knocked on the door harshly as he waited for an answer. After a few moments, the door opened up revealing none other than Captain Kuchiki.

"Ah, Renji. So you've arrived. Come inside so we can get started on the mission."

When he entered the room, Renji was surprised to see another person also in the premises.

"Rukia! Uh, what're you doing here?"

The raven haired girl answered with equal surprise, "Nee-sama needed me to go on a mission for him! What are you doing here?"

"Uh, same thing as you are I guess..."

It was then that it clicked on what was going on.

Both of them turned to the sixth division captain and exclaimed, "You want us to go on a mission TOGETHER?"

Byakyua's face was dead straight as he watched with amusement the reaction of both of them.

"Yes, I do. This quest could be potentially dangerous so I need to lieutenant level shinigami to go on it. And seeing as you two know each other quite well, I think you two would be able to work together to complete it quickly. Now then, shall I inform you on the quest?"

After the two sat down to listen, Byakyua explained.

"You see, many centuries ago with the second generation of captains, there had been a special species of hollows. As you know, when hollows are killed by a shinigami, they become purified and their hollow bodies disintegrate into nothing. However, this special breed of hollows when killed, their bodies would not vanish, and their corpses would be left to rot. The shinigami, disgusted by this, made a large temple labyrinth like structure to bury the hollows corpses. That was many years ago. However, there have been some villagefolk that have reported suspicious characters sneaking into the ruins a few days ago. Why they would want to go into a graveyard of hollows is unknown. Which is why I need you two to go there and search around for the people. If you find someone who shows hostility to you, you are allowed to use force if necessary. Am I understood?"

The two lieutenants nodded as Byakyua took a map out from his sleeve.

"This is a map showing you how to get to the ruins. Once you get there, you know what to do. If you do not find anything suspicious in three days, the report your findings and come back to the seretei. If you do not come back in three days due to circumstances, then I will send a search party to find you, alright?"

"Yes taicho!"

With that, the two childhood friends left to go and prepare for their journey.

Byakyua sighed as he remembered the conversation he had an hour ago.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_"Alright then Byakyua. Here's the plan. All you need to do is get both of them isolated, away from society."_

_Byayua frowned as he heard Shunsui's words._

_"Why is that?"_

_"Because," the eighth division captain said with a goofy grin on his face, "no distractions mean spending more time together, and when they spend more time together, just the two of them, they might confess their feelings to each other. See what I'm saying?"_

_Byakyua didn't fully understand, but he decided to go along with it for the time being._

_"Alright then, so where should I put them so that they can confess to each other?"_

_Shunsui tapped his head against his head as he tried to think of a suitable place._

_"Hmmm... let's see here... Oh! I know of a place. I heard Komamura mention it once. It was the... Shinigami Hollow Ruins? The... uh... Oh! THat's right, he called it the Shini Hollow Ruins. You should ask him about it. That might be the best thing to do."_

_"Alright then Shunsui, I'll take you word for it. Thank you."_

_The senior captain laughed it off as he took another swig of sake._

_"Anytime pal, anytime. And good luck with Rukia and Renji!"_

_Byakyua had found himself face to face with the seventh division captain, who gave him a confused look of surprise._

_"The Shini Hollow Ruins? Why would you want to know of THAT place?"_

_Byakyua just shrugged._

_"I heard Shunsui mention it, and I was curious about it. Could you give me some information on it?"_

_The nine foot tall wolf shuddered as he explained the place to Byakyua in explisit detail._

_"That place... It reeks of hollow. I have found some passageways in there that have lead to skeletons of dead hollows. But the whole area... There's an evil to it... An ancient evil that wants to be freed... It doesn't help that the place is a giant maze. You could easily get yourself lost in there. There's also the fact that many hollows have made their home in there, due to the fact that they originally feasted on the hollows remains. A terrifying place for literally everyone."_

_"I see. So you've been in there before?"_

_"Yes, in fact, I know that place like the palm of my hand. It's probably because of my enhanced senses."_

_"I see... So let's say that... a couple of shinigami were to walk into there and got lost. Would you be able to find them?"_

_Komamura scoffed as if he was offended by the statement._

_"Of course I can! A shinigami's smell sticks out like a sore thumb in a place that reeks of hollows. Of course, I wouldn't recommend anyone to go into there, due to the aura of the place."_

_Byakyua stood up and then bowed to Komamura before turning to leave.._

_"I see. Thank you Komamura. I'll be on my way now. Sorry to interrupt you from your duties."_

_"You are welcome Byakyua-san."_

_As Byakyua began to walk away, he felt a large, heavy hand rest on his shoulder._

_"Oh, but one question before you go."_

_"Hmm? Yes?"_

_Byakyua turned around to find himself face to face with the snarling head of a wolf, teeth bared and eyes narrowed._

_"Just what do you think you are planning Byakyua?"_

* * *

**Well, you guys know that you should rate and review, so hurry up and do so! Please and thank you.**


	9. CH 9 The Realization

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH! I'M SORRY THAT I FORGOT TO UPLOAD. I FEEL TERRIBLE! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I KNOW THAT THIS IS A SHORT CHAPTER, BUT IT'S SOMETHING, RIGHT?**

* * *

Byakuya had not expected this in his plan.

The next thing he knew, he was planted against a wall, his arms held rather tightly by the huge hands of Komamura.

"What do you mean by that Sajin?"

"I mean-" The wolfman said with a growl, "what are you planning to do? Don't play dumb with me either, I'm not as easily fooled as the others. And not only that, but I can feel your intentions oozing from your pores..."

'_Gross...'_ thought Byakuya as he shifted anxiously in the spot he was in. Obviously he wouldn't be getting out of this one anytime soon. Unless of course, he told Komamura of what he was planning.

_'Okay, but he'll be the last person to find out about my plans! The shinigami's women association and Shunsui already seem to have it figured out, maybe a wise man like Komamura will too.'_

"Alright, very well. I will tell you what I am up to. You see..."

And once again, Byakuya was forced to tell his entire plan to someone else, praying, that Renji and Rukia wouldn't get word of this once more people find out.

Komamura's brow furrowed as he listened to Byakuya's story.

"So you're telling me that... you're trying to build a romantic relationship between the two of them by sending them on a mission together in an isolated area?"

"Exactly."

"Uhm... Not to intrude in on your plans... But maaaaaayyybe the Shini Hollow Ruins was a bad idea then..."

Just like Komamura did seconds ago, Byakuya frowned as well.

"What do you mean by that? The goal was simple. Tell them that there is strange behavior going on at the shini ruins, send them on a mission there, have the two have some quality time together without interruptions, and if they get lost, we send a search party in a couple of days. Simple right?"

The wolfman gave an uneasy glance around the room before saying, "Well, that's the problem actually."

"What is?"

"...The whole quest part."

"How can you say that? It's a perfect plan! They go on a quest about some mysterious activity going on in-"

"That's what I mean Byakuya! There actually IS mysterious activity going on in the Shini Hollow Ruins right now! Me and Toshiro were expected to go check it out in a couple of days!"

A silence hung over the room as the awkwardness of the situation sunk in to Byakuya's mind.

"..."

"..."

"I'm guessing we should probably go and-"

"YES, LET'S."

* * *

**Anyways, rate and review guys... I know that this is a short chapter, and please forgive me for not uploading, but a lot of stuff has gotten in the way of this...**

**I don't own Bleach, that belongs to Tite Kubo.**


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